Tool for unlocking and removing from a connector block an electrical contact having a locking spring



Dec. 21, 1965 N. l.. MOULIN 3,224,082

TOOL FOR UNLOCKING AND REMOVING FROM A CONNECTOR BLOCK AN ELECTRICAL CONTACT HAVING A LOCKING SPRING Filed Jan. 20, 1964 United States Patent O 3,224,082 TOOL FOR UNLOCKING AND REMOVING FROM A CONNECTOR BLOCK AN ELECTRICAL CON- TACT HAVING A LOCKING SPRING Norbert L. Moulin, Placentia, Caiif., assiguor to Hughes Aircraft Company, Culver City, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 338,793 3 Claims. (Cl. 29-203) The present invention relates to a tool and particularly to a tool for removing an electrical contact having a locking spring from a connector block.

Modern aircraft, missiles, and electrical circuitry utilize numerous electrical contacts and associated conductors to interconnection components as well as connecting to external circuits or systems. To arrange these contacts in readily 4accessible and easily workable configurations they are generally positioned in mounting structures such as terminal boards or connector blocks, and typically such boards or blocks include a considerable number of closely spaced electrically insulated contacts. Heretofore, because of these space requirements, and the specific design of the terminal boards and connector blocks, it has been a problem to remove one or more contacts for repair without damaging or disturbing the other contacts.

Therefore, it is an object ofthe present invention to provide an improved tool for removing electrical contacts from a connector block which is easy to operate and economical to manufacture.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved tool for removing electrical contacts from a connector block containing a plurality of such contacts which unlatches and removes a single contact without damaging or disturbing adjacent contacts.

Briefly, the improved tool of the present invention cornprises a housing having a chamber containing a spring seating member adapted to seat a pair of springs and a plunger member. The plunger member includes a locking spring unlatching finger extending from one end thereof, an axial bore running longitudinally thereof and an ejection spring seating fiange at the other end. An extraction member is movably positioned in the axial bore and includes a positioning spring retaining shoulder at the end thereof adjacent to the ejection spring seating flange. An extractor positioning spring is retained between said spring seating member Vand said positioning spring retaining shoulder and an ejection spring of substantially greater stiffness circumscribes said spring and is retained between said spring seating member and said seating fiange.

Other advantages of the invention will become more apparent hereinafter from the following description of the drawings which illustrate a particular embodiment thereof.

FIGURE 1 is an enlarged side elevational view of the presently preferred embodiment of the improved electrical contact removal tool of the present invention having a portion of the housing cut away and a portion shown in section to show the various elements of the tool.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of a portion of the presently preferred embodiment of the improved tool of the present invention and a sectional view of a connector block showing the transverse chamber and a flat conductor contact member therein illustrating the position of the tool to unlatch the locking spring of the contact member.

FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 2 with the exception that the plunger is now depressed to permit the extractor to dislodge the contact member from the chamber in the connector block.

Referring now to FIG. l, the presently preferred ernbodiment of the tool of the present invention includes an elongated cylindrical housing or casing of a material such ICC as aluminum 10 which includes a chamber 11 and at one end an internally threaded portion 12 matable with the external threaded portion of a cap member 14 of like material. Extending from the other end ofthe cylindrical housing from that containing the cap 14 is the extracting or contact removal mechanism which includes a movable plunger 16 extending into the chamber 11 and having a bearing portion 18, an ejection spring seating or retaining flange portion 20 at the other end from the bearing portion 18 and a longitudinal bore. Movably positioned in the longitudinal bore is a force transmitting contact ejection member 22 or extractor which projects slightly beyond the end of the bearing portion 18 into a silghtly beveled end 23 and includes at the other end a positioning spring seating or retaining shoulder 24 which engages the spring retaining fiange portion 20. Typically, the plunger 16 and extractor 22 are of a plastic material such as nylon and the plunger may include two portions to facilitate the insertion and positioning of a locking spring unlatching Wedge or linger 26. The finger 26 extends beyond the end of the plunger 16 to a point substantially adjacent the exposed edge of the bearing portion 18 and is retained between the two plunger halves by a spring retaining ring 28. Inserted into the threaded end of the housing is a spring seating member 30 shaped to provide retaining shoulders for a first or extractor positioning spring 32 positioned between it and the positioning spring seating shoulder 24 and a second or ejection spring 34 circumscribing the unlatching spring and retained between the member 30 and the spring -fiange portion 20. To achieve the desired operation of the tool both of said springs are of a material such as spring steel, and the ejection spring 34 has a larger spring constant or increased stiffness than the extractor positioning spring 32.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3 there is shown a connector block 40 and a flat conductor contact member 42 such as that described and depicted by a copending application filed by the assignee of this application and includes a locking spring 46 which engages a groove in the connector block 40. To begin the operation for the removal of the contact member the beveled end 23 of the extractor 22 is brought into contact with the exposed end of the contact member and the unlatching finger 26 is inserted between the locking spring 46 and the wall of the connector block by applying an axial force to the cap end of the housing. As this is done, the extractor 22 is retracted into the plunger 16 or moves to the left as shown in the figures against the force of the positioning spring 32 causing the unlatching finger 26 to be inserted between a locking spring 46 and the wall of the chamber. Additional force applied to the cap end of the housing causes the extractor 22 to retract further into the plunger 16 until the end thereof is flush with the end of the plunger 16 and the positioning spring 32 is compressed to its minimum length between the spring seat member 30 and the spring retaining shoulder 24. Thereafter, further force causes the plunger 16 to retract into the chamber 11, or move to the left as sh-own in the figures against the force of the ejection spring 34 resulting in the extractor 22 moving outwardly from the plunger applying a force to the contact member to dislodge it or eject it from the block, as shown in FIG. 3. Thereafter, since both the plunger 16 and the extractor 22 have moved against spring forces upon the removal of the tool from engagement with the connector block, the springs immediately cause the tool to return to an inoperative state.

While one embodiment of this invention has been herein illustrated it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations of the disclosed arrangement both as to its details and as to its organization of such details may be made wihout departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Accordingly, it is intended that the foregoing disclosure and the showings made in the drawings may be considered only as illustrative of the principles of the invention and not construed in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. A tool for removing from a -connector block an electrical contact having a locking spring engaging said block, said tool comprising:

a housing including an elongated cavity having one closed end;

an ejection spring in said cavity and engaging said one closed end;

a plunger mechanism movably positioned in said cavity and having one end engaging the other end of said ejection spring, said mechanism including a plunger having a bore, a bearing portion for engaging said block and an unlatching ringer for depressing said locking spring when said bearing portion engages said connector block wherein both said bearing portion and said unlatching finger extend in `spaced relationship from the other end of said plunger mechanism; and

an extractor mechanism carried by said plunger mechanism and movable within said bore including an extractor positioning spring having one end engaging one end of said bore and an extractor member having one end projecting from said one end of said plunger mechanism between said bearing portion and said unlatching linger and the other end engaging the other end of said extractor positioning spring, said extractor member being depressed into said bore simultaneously with said bearing portion engaging said connector block thereafter a force of a predetermined magnitude applied to the closed end of said housing causes said plunger mechanism to depress into said cavity enabling said extractor member to extract said connector from said connector block.

2. A tool for removing from a connector block an electrical contact having a locking spring engaging said block, said tool comprising:

a housing including an elongated cavity having one closed end;

an ejection spring in said cavity and engaging said one closed end;

a plunger mechanism movably positioned in said cavity and having one end engaging lthe other end of said ejection spring, said mechanism including a plunger having a bore, a bearing portion for engaging said block and an unlatching linger for depressing said locking spring and removing it from in contact with said block when said bearing portion engages said connector block wherein both said bearing portion and said unlatching nger extend in spaced relationship from the other end of said plunger mechanism; and

an extractor mechanism carried by said plunger mechanism and movable within said bore including an extractor positioning spring circumscribed by said ejection spring and having one end engaging one end of said bore and an extractor member having one end projecting from said one end of said plunger mechanism between :said bearing portion and said unlatching finger and the other end engaging the other end of said extractor positioning spring, said extractor member being depressed into Said bore simultaneously with said bearing portion engaging said connector block thereafter a force of a predetermined magnitude applied to the closed end of said housing causes said plunger mechanism to depress into said cavity enabling said extractor member to push against said electrical contact and unseat it from its installed position.

3. A tool for removing from a connector block an elec` trical contact having a locking spring engaging said block, as set forth in claim 2: characterized in that said bearing portion is rectangular in cross section the width of which being slightly less than the diameter lof said plunger; and the extractor member and unlatching nger have a width substantially the same as the width of the electrical ccntact to be removed from Said block, said width being substantially less than the width of said bearing portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,960,864 11/1960 Watts 29-206 v3,074,155 l/1963 Cootes et al. 29-206 3,075,283 1/1963 Jansch 29-2.06 3,087,235 4/1963 Porter 29-278 WHITMORE A. WILTZ, Primary Examiner.

THOMAS H. EAGER, Examiner. 

1. A TOOL FOR REMOVING FROM A CONNECTOR BLOCK AN ELECTRICAL CONTACT HAVING A LOCKING SPRING ENGAGING SAID BLOCK, SAID TOOL COMPRISING: A HOUSING INCLUDING AN ELONGATED CAVITY HAVING ONE CLOSED END; AN EJECTION SPRING IN SAID CAVITY AND ENGAGING SAID ONE CLOSED END; A PLUNGER MECHANISM MOVABLY POSITIONED IN SAID CAVITY AND HAVING ONE END ENGAGING THE OTHER END OF SAID EJECTION SPRING, SAID MECHANISM INCLUDING A PLUNGER HAVING A BORE, A BEARING PORTION FOR ENGAGING SAID BLOCK AND AN UNLATCHING FINGER FOR DEPRESSING SAID LOCKING SPRING WHEN SAID BEARING PORTION ENGAGE SAID CONNECTOR BLOCK WHEREIN BOTH SAID BEARING PORTION AND SAID UNLATCHING FINGER EXTEND IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP FROM THE OTHER END OF SAID PLUNGER MECHANISM; AND AN EXTRACTOR MECHANISMS CARRIED BY SAID PLUNGER MECHANISM AND MOVABLE WITHIN SAID BORE INCLUDING AN EXTRACTOR POSITIONING SPRING HAVING ONE END ENGAGING ONE END OF SAID BORE AND AN EXTRACTOR MEMBER HAVING ONE END PROJECTING FROM SAID ONE END OF SAID PLUNGER MECHANISM BETWEEN SAID BEARING PORTION AND SAID UNLATCHING FINGER AND THE OTHER END ENGAGING THE OTHER END OF SAID EXTRACTOR POSITIONING SPRING, SAID EXTRACTOR MEMBER BEING DEPRESSED INTO SAID BORE SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH SAID BEARING PORTION ENGAGING SAID CONNECTOR BLOCK THEREAFTER A FORCE OF A PREDETERMINED MAGNITUDE APPLIED TO THE CLOSED END OF SAID HOUSING CAUSES SAID PLUNGER MECHANISM TO DEPRESS INTO SAID CAVITY ENABLING SAID EXTRACTOR MEMBER TO EXTRACT SAID CONNECTOR FROM SAID CONNECTOR BLOCK. 